Practical steps to memorising the Qur’an

Many Muslims wish to memorise the Qur’an, and may start doing this. Yet a large number among them do not take this enterprise methodologically, but rather haphazardly which often leads to a greater chance to forget what one has memorised, to memorise the Qur’an the wrong way, or even to abandon memorising altogether.To avoid these setbacks and ensure a successful memorising of the Qur’an, some practical steps are presented in this article which is separated in three sections:1. What one should fulfil before memorising the Qur’an:A. Purity of intention:Being sincere and seeking only the reward from Allah is a necessary condition for acceptance of every act of worship a Muslim undertakes, and memorising the Qur’an is a worshipping act (like Salat, Zakat, fasting, etc...) and should be free from shirk. Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, said “whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner” (Qur’an 18:110)B. Awareness and feeling of the greatness of the Noble Qur’an:One should remember that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah, for Allah said “If one among the pagans asks you for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the Word of Allah” (Qur’an 9:6). The greatness of the Qur’an is derived from the greatness of Allah.One should remember why the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: To guide mankind to the good, and to take them out from darkness to light. Allah said: “This is the Book, in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah” (Qur’an 2:2). And He said: “Ramadan is the month in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear signs for guidance and judgment between right and wrong” (Qur’an 2:185).From the greatness of the Qur’an comes the greatness of the month in which it was revealed (the month of Ramadan) and the greatness of the Prophet to whom it was revealed (Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), and also the greatness of any one who studies the Qur’an and teaches it. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The best among you is he who studies the Qur’an and teaches it.” (Related by al-Bukhari)C. Realising the virtue and the great reward for studying the Qur’an:Many hadiths emphasise the reward and the high status of any Muslim who reads the Qur’an. Umar, radhiallahu ‘anhu, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Surely Allah by means of this Qur’an elevates people and puts down others.” (Related by Muslim). Ibn Masud, radhiallahu ‘anhu, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “He who reads a word from the Book of Allah will be rewarded for every letter in that word, and the reward will be multiplied tenfold.” (Related by at-Tirmithi).The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, also said: “Read the Qur’an, for it will be your intercessor on the Day of Judgment.” (Related by Muslim), He also said: “He who reads the Qur’an and memorises it, is with the pious and just in the hereafter, and he who reads it and practises it in spite of its difficulty (of language) will be rewarded twice.” (Related by al-Bukhari)Allah said: “Those who rehearse the Book of Allah, establish regular prayer, and spend (in charity) out of what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a good trade that will never perish” (Qur’an 35:29)A Muslim is rewarded for reading the Qur’an as well as listening to it (being read by someone else). Allah said: “When the Qur’an is recited, listen to it with attention, and  hold your peace that you will receive mercy.” (Qur’an 7: 204)D. Realising the goals of reading and memorising the Qur’an. These goals include:* Seeking the reward from Allah as it has been mentioned above.* Applying the commands and complying with instructions mentioned in the Qur’an.* Understanding the right concepts of this deen, for the Qur’an and the Sunnah are the sources for the correct understanding of the fundamentals of the deen.Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, said: “And We sent down to you the Book explaining all things, a guide, a mercy, and glad tidings to Muslims.” (Qur’an 16:89)E- Being aware that Allah facilitates the Qur’an for those who wish sincerely to memorise it:Allah said: “And We have indeed made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will receive admonition.” (Qur’an 54:18)F- Concentrating on memorising the Qur’an and making this a habit in spite of one’s busy life:One of the good habits in reading and memorising the Qur’an is to make it a daily activity. This would necessitate allocating a time during the day for this task. The best time for reading Qur’an is after Fajr prayer, for Allah said: “Establish regular prayers at the sun’s decline till the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur’an in the early dawn, for the recital of the early dawn is ever witnessed.” (Qur’an 17:78)Reading the Qur’an in the same quiet place regularly also helps to put the Muslim in the mood for memorising it. The best and most natural place for this is the masjid.Memorising the Qur’an with a group of Muslims is better than doing it alone, because the members in the group encourage one another, and help make this task a regular one. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Whenever a group congregates in one of the houses of Allah to recite the Book of Allah, and to study it, peace and mercy will descend on them, the angels will surround them, and Allah will mention them to those with Him.” (Related by Muslim).G- Choosing a good reader from whom one can listen to the Qur’an and recite it the right way:Reading the Qur’an from the book by oneself is not sufficient, for there is a right way of pronunciation and intonation. One can listen to the reader from an audio-tape and repeat after him.H-Choosing a Qur’an book with clear writing and keeping the same book all the time.I- Starting memorising the Qur’an from the last chapter and going backward, because surahs in this part are shorter and more familiar.J- Praying (supplicating) Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, to help one memorise the Noble Qur’an.2. Practical steps to memorise the Qur’an:Now that one is ready to start memorising the Qur’an, it is necessary to follow certain steps that will, insha Allah, facilitate this task. For this purpose one should:1. Set a specific portion to be memorised at every session.It is better not to choose a large amount in the beginning, because most often one is driven by his enthusiasm to memorise more, but with time this enthusiasm wears out and one cannot keep up with same amount. This may discourage him from memorising and lead him to give up altogether. It is more important to persevere in memorising no matter how small the amount is. This amount could be defined as a certain number of verses, or number of pages, to be memorised.2. Read the verses from the Qur’an to a knowledgeable reader before memorising them.This is so that he corrects any wrong pronunciation, especially if one is not familiar with the Arabic characters.3. Read the verses to oneself to correct the pronunciation of the difficult words.4. Memorise one verse at a time, then connect the newly memorised verse to the previous ones.If the verse is too short, then one can memorise two verses at a time.5. Read the verses with a moderately loud voice.Reading aloud helps one overcome laziness and tiredness. On the other hand, one should keep his voice low so as not to bother the others. In any case, one should not read silently, but should listen to himself while reading.6. Read slowly and with the right intonation.One should know the basic rules of intonation (tajweed) and try to apply them while memorising. Allah said: “And recite the Qur’an in slow, measured rhythmic tones.” (Qur’an 73:4). He also said: “Move not your tongue concerning the Qur’an to make haste therewith.” (Qur’an 75:16). This indicates that one should not read the Qur’an fast, but rather slowly, which is best achieved when one applies the rules of tajweed; pausing and prolonging at the right places. This was the way the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, used to recite the Qur’an. Anas Ibnu Malik was once asked about the way the Prophet recited the Qur’an. He said: “He would prolong his reading like this: ‘Bismillaaahe ‘rahmaaaane ‘raheeeem’.” No doubt that reciting slowly helps one better understand the Qur’an and reflect on its meaning, which in turn helps him memorise it.7. Recite the amount he memorised to himself without looking at the book.8. Read again from the Qur’an to check if any error was made.One should be very self critical at this step and should not overlook the minor errors of pronunciation, because it will be harder to correct these errors afterward.9. Recite the amount memorised to a knowledgeable reader.10- It is preferred to connect the different amounts one has memorised from the beginning of the chapter (surah) at ever session, in addition to reviewing the whole surah once the last part of it has been memorised.3. What one should do after memorising the whole Qur’an:1. Be careful not to show off and become arrogant:Memorising the Qur’an is a blessing and privilege from Allah. It is indeed a great enterprise. After memorising the whole Qur’an one might become proud to have accomplished this task. He then might want everybody to know his accomplishment, so that they admire him. It is feared for such a person that he might be punished for this.Although it is he who put the time and effort to memorise the Qur’an, one should never forget that it is Allah Who guided him and facilitated the Qur’an for him. He should be thankful to Allah and avoid arrogance.2. Try to acquire the manners of the Qur’an, and apply its instructions in all aspects of life:The Qur’an was sent down to men so that they take it as a way of life. This obligation is more emphasised on those who know it by heart. A Muslim scholar said: “A man would read the Qur’an and curse himself without knowing it. He would say ‘The curse of Allah is on the wrong-doers,’ (Qur’an 7:44) and he is one of them, ‘The curse of Allah is on the liars.’ and he is a liar himself!”3. Try not to forget what one has memorised, and commit oneself to that:The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, encouraged the Muslims to take care of the Qur’an by memorising it, and reviewing it quite often, and warned them from forgetting any part of  it. The hadiths mentioning this are numerous. The Prophet said: “Take care of the Qur’an (by memorising it). By the one in Whose Hand my soul is, it is easier to slip away from you than the camels in their shackles.” (Related by al-Bukhari). He also said: “The holder of the Qur’an (i.e. the one who memorised it) is like the holder of the chained camels. If he keeps watch on them they will stay with him, and if he loosens their chains they will slip away.” (Related by al-Bukhari).For this reason, one should review the Qur’an quite often so that he does not forget it. It is advised to review the whole Qur’an in forty days, based on the hadith of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, who said: “In how many days should the Qur’an be read?” then he himself replied: “In forty days.” (Related by at-Tirmidhi). It is also disliked that forty days pass and one has not read a single word from the Qur’an.4. The reason for forgetting the Qur’an and how to avoid it:Allah says: “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of that your hands have earned.” (Qur’an 42:30). This means that the sins that one commits are the reason of the misfortune that befalls a Muslim, and no doubt that forgetting the Qur’an is a big misfortune. The companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and the generation after them had realised this. They would take a strong position against those who forgot the Qur’an, by reprimanding them and keeping away from them. Adhahak said: “No one memorises the Qur’an then forgets it, unless he committed a sin.” By trying to avoid committing sins, and purifying oneself, one can hope to keep the Qur’an in his heart and mind.5. How and when to review the Qur’an:The best way to review the Qur’an is to allocate a time for this purpose, apart from the time allocated to memorising. This however can be difficult, due to one’s busy day. Another way is to recite when performing the voluntary (not the obligatory) prayers, and to recite one part every day, so that in thirty days, he would finish the whole Qur’an (which is divided in thirty parts). Once can also recite in the car while driving, or between the Athan and the congregational prayer, or allocate a few minutes after Fajr prayer for reviewing. In any case one should try his best to review the whole Qur’an in 40 days, as the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, advised us. We ask Allah, the Almighty, to guide us to this noble task and facilitate it for us.